Food and Life with a Punch of Flavor

Croque Monsieur

And just blogging in general. Man, I knew I loved cooking and blogging, but I didn’t realize until last week how HUGE a part of my life it is.

I went through blog withdraws.

I had so much fun cooking my butt off on Sunday and getting all prepped for this week! It was, however, quite exhausting. I felt like I was prepping a Thanksgiving meal…finish one thing, clean up, start another. Crazy, but really fun!

So this sandwich….

Ohhhhhhhhh my gosh it’s so good I can’t even describe it.

Just kidding, I can. When am I ever short for words?

This classic French ham and cheese sandwich is assembled with lightly toasted white sandwich bread, a big dollop of Dijon mustard, gourmet ham, delicious gruyere cheese, and slathered with a luscious, cheesy bechamel sauce before baking and transforming into gooey, melt-y sandwich heaven.

I basically cried when I ate it.

With happiness.

Because, I mean…

That.

Can you blame me?

Let’s just all move to France and live there forever. And eat this for every meal.

Yes?

Done.

There is actually a little bit of history behind this sinfully delicious sandwich.

Have you ever seen the movie It’s Complicated? If not, stop what you are doing, go rent the movie, and watch it ASAP.

It is one of my all time favorites. So there is one part of the movie where Meryl Streep (love her) makes a fantastic looking sandwich for Steve Martin. You can’t really tell what it is, but it looked SO BOMB.

I searched and searched and searched for what it was, and – since discovering it was a Croque Monsieur – have been meaning to make it for years.

Thank you, It’s Complicated (and my obvious obsession with food) for leading to the creation of this beauty.

Seriously….

And it’s not even hard to make. It sounds so fancy with “Croque Monsieur” and “Bechamel” bein’ thrown around all over the place, but it’s really just a ham and cheese sandwich topped with a super simple cream sauce and baked.

I will tell you a secret behind this sandwich, though. You really have to use nice ingredients. If you used Walmart brand deli ham, super cheap sandwich bread, and a different type of cheese it just wouldn’t be the same. I promise. And I am usually not an ingredient snob (my pantry is filled with Walmart brand stuff). But with this, there are only a few really simple ingredients, so the quality really does matter.

In other news…remember how Boone was limping and I was worried we were going to have to take him to the vet again?

Well we did and his poor little toe is broken. Poor baby. Now he is on “strict rest” for over a month, which means no frisbee!

Gasp! He is so bored and hyper.

It was a super chill and easy experience at the vet, just like always (sarcasm), that ended in the vet techs having to administer three (yes…three) different types of sedatives in order for him to be docile enough to receive an x-ray. Yayyyyy!!!!

It’s okay. He’s totally worth it.

And my first week at my new job (the school year technically doesn’t start until the 19th) was crazy!

It was proooobably the most overwhelming week of my life, but I met with the teacher who taught this class for the last several years, and she made me feel a lot better. I am starting to feel like I have a slight, tiny, very VERY small grasp on things. Sometimes.

8 slices of white sandwich bread. Buy the fancy kind from bakery section of the grocery store. If you buy it from the bread aisle where all the other sandwich loaves are, it will turn out a little soggy. Any type of sliced Italian bread, sourdough bread, or any high quality kind from the bakery section will work.

8 oz gruyere cheese, grated

16 slices (a little less than a pound) of good quality ham (I had it sliced fresh at the deli counter)

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

2 cups 2% milk

5 grates of fresh nutmeg

8 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Chopped parsley (optional garnish)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees

Place all 8 slices of bread on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes, remove from the oven, flip the slices of bread over, and bake for another 3 (take the bread out if it is getting anywhere past a light golden brown)

Meanwhile, make your bechamel sauce

Melt your butter in a large saute pan and add your flour

Whisk together and let cook for about 30 seconds, whisking constantly

Add the milk and whisk until everything is smooth and combined

Bring this mixture to a simmer, and let it cook until it has thickened slightly

Remove from the heat and add ⅔ cups of the grated gruyere cheese and the fresh grated nutmeg

Season to taste with salt and pepper

Remove the bread from the oven and assemble the sandwiches

Spread 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard onto each slice of bread

Lay 2 slices of ham each on 4 of the pieces of bread

Evenly distribute half of the remaining gruyere on top of the ham on each sandwich (the other half will be used later)

Place the remaining 4 slices of bread on top of the gruyere and place the sandwiches back onto the parchment lined baking sheet

Spoon ⅓ cup of the bechamel on top of each sandwich (if there is any left over, add extra to the tops of the sandwiches)

Sprinkle the remaining gruyere cheese on top of the sandwiches and bake for 10 minutes

Turn the oven onto broil and broil the sandwiches for another 3-5 minutes, or until tops of the sandwiches are golden brown and bubbly

Top with chopped parsley for color (optional)

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If you make this or any of my other recipes, be sure to Instagram it and hashtag #thegarlicdiaries!

I would gladly move to France and eat croque monsieur’s and croissants all day every day :) This looks so amazing! I am all over anything that involves melted cheese, mmmmm…. Sorry to hear about Boone, poor thing. Hope the month goes by quickly!Maya @ Treats and Eats recently posted…Dulce de Leche Espresso Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

I go through phases where I cut back on blogging but I always miss it! All of it, the writing of posts, the communicating with other bloggers, even the social media aspect. I miss it when I’m not participating in it!

Hope everything is going well and I hope you have a great week, Annie! This croque monsieur looks incredible! :)Julie | Small Green Kitchen recently posted…Garlic Parmesan Herb Zucchini

Love how you tried looking up the sandwich in a movie. You are a true foodie! This seriously looks amazing. I think I would also cry :pCathleen @ A Taste Of Madness recently posted…Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Squares

Let me just start off by saying: this post totally made my day. Let me explain! I had my first Croque Monsieur in France in 2010 and have been obsessed with their food ever since. Luckily, there’s an authentic French Café in my neighborhood where I can get these all the time! (And authentic meaning, the owners, like just moved here from France and can barely speak English!) But after seeing this post, I know I was DESTINED to actually make this sandwich – right now- for dinner. Thank you! xxooxxDorcas@feelgoodfoodblog recently posted…Banana Coconut Chocolate Bon Bons

Croque Monsieur is one of my favorite sandwiches! Ahhhh I want one so bad right now. Totally need to make this ASAP..and adapt it to be gluten-free! It’s a good thing that I recently found a gluten-free bread that I actually like. Poor Boone! Hopefully the month goes by fast so he can get back to playing frisbee. My parent’s dog, Molly, hurt her back once and we had to hide her ball and keep her “calm”. It only worked for one day before she was back to being wild again! So, good luck! :)Keri @ Fashionable Foods recently posted…Individual Blueberry Peach Crisps {Paleo}

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Annie Chesson
I am a passionate Christian, proud Army wife, cooking addict, and owner of the cutest German Shepherd/Lab in the whole world! Join me in my journey to create delicious, flavorful food. More About Me...